Guinea's internet exchange point is ready - minister

Guinea's Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Digital Economy Moustapha Mamy Diaby has confirmed the country now has an IXP in place and this would improve internet user experience.

Speaking at the Council of Ministers chaired by the Head of State Alpha Condé, Diaby said the country will start deploying the IXP infrastructure but did not specify a date.

According to tradingeconomics.com the internet speed in Guinea decreased to 2034.56 Kbps in Q1 of 2017 from 2052.72 Kbps in Q4 of 2016.

The speed is comparatively lower to that of other African countries such as Kenya (12160.37KBps), Rwanda (7689.31KBps) and South Africa (6736.79KBps).

The West African country's exchange point initiative forms part of the broader Regional Communication Infrastructure Programme for West Africa and has been in development since 2012.

The IXP provides faster connectivity through the interconnection of different ISPs that exchange internet traffic between their networks through peer-to-peer peering agreements.

Guinea's IXP was financed by the World Bank for 3.5 billion Guinean Francs (approximately US$387,000).

While the government has vowed that the IXP will boost data connectivity and offer more locals access to the internet, operators directly involved are waiting for the launch, deployment and its terms of reference before making similar promises to subscribers.

The ministry said the further details would be made available during the launch.

Despite concerns raised, Diaby believes that the IXP would offer Guineans the opportunity to make the Internet a development tool.

"Broadband, at the centre of new uses, will have an impact on various sectors, including the economy, education, services, and so on," he said.